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One of 'Those' Evenings
-Swift Blade had never considered herself an indecisive person. Being on Cybertron, however, has brought out that trait in her. So many things aer serious here, often decisions made are ones that are going to have far reaching consequences. As such, the recent news report was quite disturbing to say the least. And as much as she wants to sort the matter out, a part of her is afraid of what answers she might find. -Blast Off saw those news reports as well. Slag that, he LIVED it. He doesn't have to wonder about them- or about how the senate (not too surprisingly) twisted everything up to make the Decepticons- inlcuding him- look far worse than they were. 72 workers dead?! PFFFt, by whose count? He sure didn't see anyone die. The shuttleformer makes his way towards a small hole-in-the-wall bar to go drown his sorrows about the injustice of the world. -The world has been pretty unjust lately, but it's unclear whether it's justice that brings Swift Blade into that very same bar. Maybe it's just a coincidence. Either way, she walks through the door and pauses to look around. -Blast Off gets to the counter and orders some high grade. Not a beer, but certainly not wine, which he still has no taste for. Upon receiving it, he straightens up to turn and find somewhere to sit- and catches sight of Swift Blade. At first his optics brighten, and he leans forward to walk towards her. Then abruptly stops. Hmm. What if she saw those videos? She... might have even believed them. This causes him to lean back and consider slipping away. Then- no, no he has nothing to hide! Nothing to be ashamed of. His jaw servos set and he strides forward again- confidently- towards the femme. He greets, "Swift Blade." -Swift Blade looks mildly startled, but not altogether surprised, when she hears Blast Off address her while moving towards her. Turning to face him directly, she inclines her head in greeting, though she does not smile. "Blast Off," she says. While it couldn't really be said that she's giving him the cold shoulder, she does look a little less pleased than usual to see him. "I think we need to talk." -The shuttle picks that up immediately, and his confident demeanor falters ever-so-slightly. But only slightly. Blast Off glances off to the side, then back to her for a moment of awkward silence between them. Finally he responds with a flat, "I see." He spots a quiet corner off in the shadows and nods towards it, then heads over and sits down. "You don't actually /believe/ it, do you?" -The seeker femme moves to follow, and she does sit down with him. Whether that bodes for good or ill is yet to be seen, but so far Swift Blade hasn't given any indication that she has a deceitful nature. "I believe something happened, yes, but as to how accurate the report actually was..." She trails up, holding her hands out, palms up, in a gesture of uncertainty. -Blast Off finds that he is glad she sat down. She doesn't hate him or something yet. Hopefully. He places the drink in front of him, then one black hand on either side of it and leans forward. Again, his gaze breaks a moment, darting to the side before coming back to look fixedly at her. The Combaticon lets out a small, soft huff. "...Yes, something did happen. The video is... accurate, more or less. But *heavily* edited, and what they claim happened is /false/. ....For the most part." -Swift Blade nods her head slowly at this, her optics giving Blast Off a rather direct and discerning gaze. "If you are allowed to tell me as much, where do the discrepancies lie?" she asks. Is her tone perhaps a bit hopeful, as though she's trying to salvage what she can from this incident? Perhaps. -"For one, one thing I suspect you might epecially care about- if 72 workers died, I sure as /slag/ didn't see it." Blast Off looks down to his drink, reaching for the glass and taking a sip through the small hatch in his faceplate before continuing. "I can say that... well..." He raises a hand with a sort of half-shrugging gesture, and says quietly, "You saw where I was last time. You know... what I am now. The group I joined." If she didn't, she probably does now, but it would have been fairly obvious he was hanging out with Decepticons. "I'm tired of always running. I am ready to fight back against this Senate- this corrupt system. I'm a /Combaticon/, not a coward. So... yes, I joined their group, and yes, we are tired of always /re/acting. It's time for some /pro/activity." -Swift Blade smiles faintly, though it is a sad smile. "You're right; it was the workers that concerned me the most," she replies softly, leaning forward just a bit. And yeah, it had been somewhat obvious at the Forge, but seeing the footage made it crystal clear. "Because everything I had heard so far was that the...group...was looking for justice, and there's hardly any justice in punishing the workers for what is so far beyond their control," she says. "For a while I felt that I had almost been convinced, and so it was rather distressing to see that report." -Blast Off lets out a sharp huff at that. "Of COURSE it was- that was the point of that report. It was produced by the same powers that brought you such delights as empurata and shadowplay, brainwashing and spark extraction!" The Combaticon is of course being facetious. "We did... go there. To make a point to the Senate." For now he leaves out the information the Decepticons gathered, since that may or may not be up to him to reveal. "That factory is where they create many of the drones they use to spy on us all with. After last cycle that will be significantly harder." He takes another sip, then continues. "And yes, I did shoot at Blurr, who was making off with information about the technology and the people involved with it. But the workers were frightened little petro-rabbits. I let them scatter before me and reserved shooting ONLY for that Senate spy." -Swift Blade nods her head. "Well, there have been issues between you and Blurr for some time now," she notes. "Still, it looked like he got away." She slumps her shoulders. "In all honesty, I have no desire to hurt people...any people," she stresses. "But even I can understand the difference between wanton violence and necessary force to accomplish a goal. Clearly they want us to believe you are all the former rather than the latter." She tilts her head to the side. "However, you have never struck me as someone who would side with those who were purely savage." Pause. "Although that one mech did look to be moving closer to that dangerous line." -Blast Off sort of half-grimaces under his faceplate at the mention of Blurr, raising an optic ridge and sighing. "Yes... he did." He doesn't neccessarily sound happy about it, either. He refrains from adding *but he didn't the first time, ha!*.... Then he nods to the rest. "Despite coming from Combatron, I have never particuarly relished wanton destruction either. I mean, really, what's the point? It doesn't accomplish anything except making a mess. But targeted strikes for a specific reason? Now /that/ is strategically sound." Another drink, and he adds, "Yes, of course they want to make us all out to be monsters. They want to sway public opinion against us. But there's a rising tide against /them/... and I think that even they won't be able to stop that tide. Not without enacting even /more/ drastic measures. And if they do THAT, then I believe even the mainstream public will begin to see them for who they really are." He pauses, and asks, "...What "one mech"?" -Swift Blade shrugs her shoulders. "I don't know him by name; just what was on the report. He was beating up a femme that looked much smaller." She shakes her head. "It would be naive of even me to think that everyone in your group has the same...devotion...to the ideas of your leader," she notes gravely. -Blast Off frowns. "Hmm. I... am not sure. I was inside the factory, so I did not see what happened outside, but I could hear some fighting going on out there." As for the rest.... unfortunately she is dead on the money there. The shuttleformer's frown remains as he moves to drink again- this time for much longer. With a flourishing finish and a soft *thud* of glass upon table, he returns his gaze to Swift Blade. "No. You were in the Forge. There are... all sorts there. Many of them rough and rabblerousing types who are used to fighting and struggling to even eek by- to even exist at all. And.... yes, there are a few who just like to fight." He shrugs. "But every group is going to attract a few bad petro-apples." -"My worry is that these will prove to be the greater number," Swift Blade says gravely. "And, perhaps, they will not fit in so well when the fighting is over and it's time to actually /build/ a new society." She looks thoughtful for a few moments. "Which is why I suspect you need as many people who do not love to fight for the sake of fighting as you can get. People who are, to use your word, civlized." She sucks on her bottom lip for a moment. "If it had been true about the workers, it would have been too much. Since it was not, perhaps this may be where my duty lies." She speaks so softly, so carefully. -Blast Off's first response is to shrug her concerns away. Denial is his friend, after all. Another wave of his hand, and, "Bah, I'm sure Megatron and those in charge realize who they have and how to handle them. At least Megatron does not seem the type to suffer fools gladly. Most of these mechs are working towards something... better. Just because people are ready to fight does not make them "bad" people. Look at my team!" Just not Vortex. Or maybe Swindle. Or maybe Brawl. And forget that he recently found out that Combatron basically fought itself to death. *ahem* But then she has to bring up "civilized" things, and his easy denial falters a little. "Well....I... I suppose. It certainly hasn't always been.... easy fitting in there. Not when I... well... it hasn't been easy." Now he feels a bit... melancholy. His voice trails off as she mentions "duty", and he looks thoughtfully at her. Carefully. What's she... offering, exactly? "I... would appreciate that. Civilized... company has been a bit... scarce." -"Megatron certainly is impressive," Swift Blade says evenly, "But he is still only one mech; he cannot be everywhere at once." Which is true. Of course, she's never met Soundwave, the eternally loyal, so she doesn't know that while Megatron can't PERSONALLY be everywhere, he can have audials in many places. As it is, she just knows about a whole bunch of gladiators...and Blast Off. Sighing, she shakes her head. "Simply enjoying to fight isn't the problem; these are angry people, and when people are angry, they're less than rational. You're usually pretty level headed, but like Megatron, you are only one mech." -Blast Off ? Less than PERFECT? PERISH the THOUGHT! He waves a hand again. "I am /always/ level-headed. I deal with people like Brawl, who is always /angry/.... and still maintain my composure. I might be surrounded by unsavory sorts but I can deal with them. I imagine so can Megatron. Surely he won't allow a bunch of hooligans to mess up his plans." Shaking his head, he adds, "But if they are angry- again, can you blame them? Given the state of the world today, and what we have to deal with? People can only take so much pain and suffering before they decide to fight back- and that's not a peaceful action." -"It's not a matter of placing blame," says Swift Blade. "It's about finding a counter balance to it." Even if Blast Off /was/ perfect, he still doesn't have the power to duplicate himself. "I'm just saying that you probably need a variety of personality and skill types to be well rounded and to be in a better position to know what the width and bredth of Cybertronian experience is. After all, when people are fighting /for/ something, there has to be something left at the end or the fight is meaningless." Her tone is intense, despite being quiet still. -"...s'wot 'appened. Really!" comes a familiar voice as the entrance to the bar opens. Swivel steps in without taking much care to keep her voice quiet as she converses with someone behind her. "'En I kinna b'lieve 'e dinna take th'shanix! I mean, I wunna tryin' ta... well I dunno. I jus felt I wun't ther one doin' ther best thin', e'en though I was doin' ther correct thin... yanno?" She pauses in the door for a moment. "Well, aincha comin'? No? Said I'd buy ya..... oh.... I see.... okay.... mebbe 'nother time...." With each word, Swivel's voice gets quieter until she is speaking with her inside voice. Whomever she was speaking with obviously wasn't as loud as her. The femme's studded shoulders slump as she turns to the bar proper, if anything about this hole in the wall could be called proper, and drags her feet as she shuffles in. -Blast Off ahhs. "Well, we do. Mechs and femmes have come from every corner of Cybertron to land in Kaon. Look at me, I WAS in Vos- a scientist, no less... until my life got turned upside down. There are hardscrabble miners all the way up to.... well, those in high places." He can't exactly mention the likes of Starscream, though he wonders if she suspects the mech. "And yes, I agree. That is why precision strikes are so important. If done with care and skill (like Onslaught, my Commander, would do) then success should be met swiftly. Hopefully the Senate will be exposed in short order and we can ALL get back to our lives." That is, if his crimes will ever be forgiven. At that moment Swivel makes an entrance, and the shuttleformer watches her a moment. He knows that femme- but he's not sure he wants her to notice him. -How long has Whirl been in this bar? Long enough to get completely wasted and pass out under a table somewhere it seems. A random mech, unaware of the cyclops' presence, has sat down at said table to enjoy his drink after a long cycle of work. At one point he accidently kicks the blacked out mech, awaking him and setting off a chain of events he's sure to regret. Whirl suddenly rises to his feet so fast that it sends the table, and the drink ontop of it, clattering to the floor. The poor mech can only stare in confusion as Whirl casually walks away as if he didn't just do something completely ridiculous. "Well well well, look who we have here." It doesn't take long for Whirl to spot the Combaticon and the familiar femme he's chatting with, wasting no time in approaching them and forcing himself into their private conversation. "Didn't expect to see you guys here, though it is.. convenient." -Swift Blade actually doesn't suspect Starscream, mostly because he hasn't said anything to make her suspicious of being anything other than self-absorbed and a bit of a flirt, which aren't exactly crimes. "That's something at least then," she says. The seeker femme is about to say more, then Swivel's interesting language catches her attention and she turns to look towards the femme. However, considering the nature of the conversation she's having, she doesn't do anything besides take notice. Whirl, on the other hand, isn't to be avoided as he walks straight up to them. She inclines her head politely and offers the odd mech a faint smile. "Good cycle Whirl," she greets. No mention is made of the upset table, nor does she question why he was under it. "I hope you are well." -If Swivel hadn't noticed the Combaticon on her own in his shadowy corner, he is definately made obvious now by Whirl's presence. And Whirl was made obvious by table flipping, which elicited laughter from the jovial femme. Laughter that likely goes unappreciated by the poor mech who was startled by Whirl, and some of the staff. With a spring in her step, Swivel walks up behind Whirl who is invading other people's private space and conversations. Whilst she made no effort to hide her approach, she doesn't greet anyone. Instead she stands behind and to the side of Whirl, placing one hand over one of her optics and looks about. With her free hand, she gathers her fingers together and makes pincer-like motions with her hand. -Blast Off is just getting used to the idea of Swivel making an appearance when... when /THAT GUY/ shows up. UUUGH. WHHHY. The Combaticon is immediately tense, watching the cyclops warily. OH MY PRIMUS HE ISN'T GOING TO TRY HUGGING ME AGAIN IS HE?, he thinks to himself. "...What do you want? How is it convenient?" Yeah, he's happy to see you too, Whirl! Then he blinks. Oh yeah. Raising his hand and pointing to Whirl, he states, "Oh. Also, you /owe/ me. Big time." Swivel walks up and starts *snapping* at Whirl... literally. The shuttleformer blinks- and then simply looks away, like why NO I SAW NOTHING. Nothing at all! -A large, young mech rushes through the front entranceway of the bar. He stops when he's inside, glancing around this way and that with large, frenzied optics. Seeing everyone else sitting down, or at least most of the people sitting down, Quickswitch takes a seat at a table. He might be recognizable from the broadcast as the Autobot who, in beast mode, mauled Megatron's face, but, he hopes to himself, looking back over his shoulder with a grieved expression, that nobody recognizes him. He's escaped his handlers for the time being. Quickswitch glances around the bar. -Whirl hasn't yet noticed Swivel standing behind him nor does he notice her rather convicing impersonation of him. "Hello Swift Blade, I hope you are well." How polite! It's almost easy to forget Whirl is completely insane. Almost. "I'm sorry to interupt but I need to speak with Blast Off. Just for a moment, it wont take long." He looks at Blast Off, peering at him with that creepy single optic of his. There's a cough before Whirl speaks, as if he was clearing his vocalizer. "I heard about what happened, with the Decepticons. Everyone did, it's big news. Given that this is clearly the start of a turning point in history that will inevitably end in full out war, there are certain things I think we should talk about." Another cough. "Another time of course. In private." -Swift Blade knows that Whirl may very well be insane, but he's still a person, despite the mark of empurata on him that tried to scrape away his claim to personhood. She gives him a long look. "You sound serious," she says gravely. Whirl generally doesn't; there's usually a sort of careless irreverence about the mech that seems momentarily lacking. "If you want to speak with him alone, I can go to the bar for a while," she says, looking ready to rise to her feet if occassion should require it. She's too caught up to really notice Quickswitch for the time being. As for Swivel, well, Swift Blade just shakes her head at the femme in mild disapproval. She's not angry; she just doesn't know how Whirl will take this, and she doesn't want to see an altercation. She then turns to Blast Off, her expression questioning on whether he wants her to leave him alone with Whirl or not. -Swivel covers her mouth with both of her hands; it is all that she can do to keep from laughing. Apparently, she thinks she is so funny to be mocking someone's disfigurations that came from a form of torture and dehumanization. Ah, the young and the ignorant. However, she can take a hint, and the look of disapproval from Swift Blade causes Swivel's expression of amusement to pause as she then tilts her head quizzically. She begins to step back, not realising that someone with their hands full of drinks had stepped behind her on their way to a table. This causes a yelp from the unfortunate mech, a gasp from Swivel, and yet another one of Swivel's hallmark clumsy moments. As a domino reaction, the stumbling mech trying to keep himself from dropping his drinks and regaining his balance step-hops forward a few times, raising the drinks high. They spill and splatter energon on him and the floor, and a nearby femme. The nearby femme shrieks in pure shock and stands up abruptly, which causes her table to topple (really, they ought to bolt these things to the floor). That table lands in the path of yet ANOTHER walking mech who was on his way out, who then trips over it and crashes into the table that Quickswitch seated himself at. Good work, Swivel. -Blast Off tenses even more as Quickswitch rushes in and sits at a table nearby. There is something vaguely familiar about this mech- but he's not sure why. Something that makes him a bit uneasy. Of course, he saw this mech's puma form in the Senate video- but not neccessarily his root mode. Still... hmmm.... And actually, come to think of it, he realizes that Swift Blade's "one mech" might've been Deadlock. He doesn't have much more time to think of this, though, as Whirl requests a "private moment." PROBABLY to SNEAK IN ANOTHER HUG. HMPH. Still... he doesn't want to appear /afraid/ of the mech. So he siighs. "Fine, but this better not take long." Besides, it'll give him some time to get away from their new "friend" over there who seems too familiar somehow. He turns to Swift Blade, "No, stay here, please. One moment. I shall return." And he gets up to leave the table and head off to yet /another/ shadowy corner to listen to Whirl. Suddenly Swivel causes a HUGE COMMOTION with TONs of NOISE, causing him to pause and GLARE at her a second... but then he's headed to that corner. -Quickswitch green-opticked gaze sweeps across the bar. Mechs and femmes talking, drinking. He remembers reading something about establishments like this one. It's a bar. He only ran into this place to escape his damnable handlers and earn himself a moment's freedom from their optics. "What'll you have?" A voice asks, a waiting unit. Quickswitch looks up questioningly, murmurs, having absolutely no idea what drinks there are and never having had one before, "Whatever you think is best," he replies. "All right." His ever-watchful optics continue to skirt the bar and its inhabitants. When he reaches Whirl, he can't suppress the shudder at the mutilated unperson--the un-Cybertronian, "Empurata, empurata!" he says in a loud whisper, gaping as he never thought he'd see one in the metal, "Hideous," he says to himself, "You're an empurata!" he says to Whirl in disgust and wonder and loathing. His optics move past Whirl, seeing a mech that matches something in his memory banks. No sooner had that disgust brimmed over, another emotion, this one unrestrained shock crackled through him. Decepticon! He clamps his mouth shut. It's all he can do to keep from crying out. I recognize him. That's Blast Off from the report! Oh..What have I got myself into here..? It is the Decepticon encountered by Blurr! The Decepticon must be elimited! He grabs the drink set down by the waiter and gulps it down. A sudden headiness fills the six changer as the drink floods his system. His optics go bleary for a moment and the room shifts. -Whirl DEFINITELY notices Swivel now, especially after she singlehandedly causes a hilarious multi-person accident. This makes him bust out laughing which is the total opposite of what would've happened if he had caught her mocking him. Seriously, she's lucky he didn't turn around sooner. "Hahahaha! Nice work, Swivel!" Nevertheless, he joins Blast Off at another one of the bar's many shadowy corners. "There's going to be a war, Blast Off. A big one. Things are going to change, /people/ are going to change. It's going to happen fast and I don't know how many times we'll be able to talk like this without us being obliged to kill eachother." He turns his head slightly, just enough to avoid looking directly at the Combaticon as he continues. "There's.. something I feel like I have to share with you before that happen. For Shiftlock's sake." Oh, there's the magic name! "She left a part of herself with me when we interfaced. I want to.." His voice gets quieter. "..give that to you, so her memory will live on in those that she cared about." This is all for Shiftlock, OBVIOUSLY. That's some heavy stuff, right? Too bad Quickswitch has to go and make things awful. His taunts and disgusted tone cut the mutilated mech deeper than he ever expected them to. Yes, Whirl is no stranger to this kind of treatment, but for a while there he was able to pretend he was a normal person with friends, or something like them, and not just some deformed freak. It's a reality check if he ever had one. "Hey slaghead! Do you mind!? I'm trying to have a conversation with my friend here!" -On the positive side, at least Swivel has given up mocking the unfortunate Empurata. However, the downside effects quite a few other patrons, and Swift Blade just looks plain surprised at the commotion. Slowly she shakes her head; there's not much to do about it and since Swivel didn't seem to do it on purpose, she's not going to worry about scolding her. Nodding to Blast Off, she relaxes slightly. "Alright," she agrees softly. "I will wait here in that case." As far as she can tell, the two mechs aren't /exactly/ enemies, so she's not terribly concerned. Quickswitch got a glance when he charged in at first, but she didn't take any particular note of him other than that he was here. However, when he starts talking about Whirl in such a way, her expression grows a bit cold. Maybe she won't be waiting at the table after all. She gets up and walks over to the mech. "You shouldn't say such things outloud," she points out to him gently. "It's unkind and lacks in tact." She doesn't, however, point out to Whirl that calling Quickswitch a slaghead isn't really very diplomatic either. Instead she gives the empurata a look of concern. Even if he doesn't show it affecting him more than an irate comment, she wants him to see that is worried about his wellbeing. -When the proverbial dust settles, Swivel is also in awe what just taking a few steps backwards can accomplish. It almost looks as if there was a barroom brawl... but really, there was just Swivel. And that Swivel is profusely apologising to the mech she bumped at first, but then her apologies get louder and seem to be directed at the room at large. "Sorry! I shoulda looked 'hind me 'fore I.... agh wotter mess! SO SORRY!" And she probably would have continued babbling her apologies had her attention not been grabbed by Quickswitch. "Whose an empoo-whatta?" Pause. "Whatza emp-whatever?" -Blast Off is still tense as Whirl comes up to speak to him. The mention of the war has the shuttleformer glances away, as well. But at the mention of Shiftlock, his gaze reverts back to the cyclopian mech. And then he mentions /interfacing/ with her. Even more tension now. And then he mentions.... OMP. The Combaticon's optics widen in surprise and he stiffens in a bit of shock- staring at Whirl the whole time. Whirl wants to... WHAT? Interface with him?! Is that it? So... so DIRECT and everything, too! The shuttle is immediately blushing- at least as much as a Cybertronian CAN blush. Circuits are running a bit... hotter and he he feels a bit... flushed. Also panicked. Definitely some panic here. That stare just stretches on and on..... And yet..... Somewhere, somehow, Primus forgive him for this- it has some *appeal* too. /Somehow/. He glances, not for the first time, at those claws, then his gaze returns to that one lone optic. "I.... I...." His own violet optics look a bit... lost, and panicked, and like HECK NO- and ...interested- all at the same time. "...I..." Oh slag. And he's CURIOUS too. Primus forgive him THAT, but he IS. About Whirl, and what that...well, that might be like.... and YES, the thought had occured to him that sharing that experience with Whirl would mean that he might glean those memories about Shiftlock, too. That... that thing he's so /jealous/ of. It's strange and sweet and so, so WRONG of Whirl to offer this, and it's soooo, so wrong if he were to accept. And yet Oh so RIGHT, too. This is so shocking and flustering to the shuttle he completely forgets about rubbing the fact that he saved half of Nyon in Whirl's face, too. All he can do is stare, not even hearing as Quickswitch insults Whirl. He's lost in his own confusion right now. "I..." Finally his optic ridges furrow down, and he looks away, "I...don't know. I... I would have to... think about it." It's not a yes... but it's not a no, either. He's a little too shocked for the usual complete and utter denial right now. -"Slaghead?!" Quickswitch's growl carries from one mode to another, four footed and toppling the table he's sitting at. He snarls harshly at Whirl but then turns back to his root mode, "But he's an empurata!" Quickswitch says beneath his hand to Swift Blade, "The worst of criminals. It is a mark of shame to become one. Their hands and heads removed to show their stigma. Forever," he says, voice full of harsh and cold judgement and a tight scornful line to his mouth. Quickswitch orders two more drinks from the waiter, nevermind how he's going to pay for it, "He might not be able to help who he is," Quickswitch utters with a suddenly gentle look in his optics--"Come, come here, away from him.." he quietly urges Swivel, as if Whirl is something diseased and to be avoided. The drinks are delivered to his table (Quickswitch quickly righted it) and Quickswitch snatches one up and drinks it completely. It adds to the headiness and the Autobot watches the room and the other mechs and femmes swim. Quickswitch watches his own arm put down the glass and take up the second drink. He hears himself saying, ice-shock cold, "--but he is still empurata." The empurata is hardly the point right now. Quickswitch again regards Swift Blade nonsensically, as if he hadn't understood what she meant. That is not the point either. The point is the Decepticon talking now in a quiet corner. Damn these drinks are good, He addresses the waiter without tact in the least, "Bring more of these." Quickswitch feels himself shrug, but keeps his optics on the shady corner where Blast Off is, trying to avoid looking at the empurata. -There's a reason why Whirl was passed out drunk underneath that table. This proposition, the one he made to Blast Off, is something he'd been thinking about ever since he heard the news about the Decepticon's latest antics. He wanted to bring it up to the Combaticon next time he saw him but he was surprisingly nervous about it and maybe even a little bit afraid so he had no choice but to drink himself into a stupor before he could work up the courage to speak about such things with Blast Off. Unfortunately, Whirl is barely able to enjoy the Combaticon's reaction (and what an adorable reaction it was) because Quickswitch continues making a scene, even switching into that frightening puma mode of his just long enough to intimidate the 'empurata', as Quickswitch put it. It's totally not fair, Whirl wasn't even a criminal before the Senate mutilated him! They turned him into a monster, it wasn't something he chose to become but that's what he is now so he might as well roll with it. "Yeah, I'm a criminal. The worst of the worst! I used my original hands to slaughter countless innocents, that's why they were taken from me. You better watch your back, slaghead!" Then to Blast Off, his demeanor is instantly friendlier and calmer. "Yeah, I figured you'd say that. Take your time but not too long, there's a war about to start, remember?" -A look of understanding crosses Swift Blade's face. "Can I explain it to you later?" she asks Swivel softly. She remembers when she first asked about it and the response that Whirl gave. That moment really stayed in her mind. As for what Whirl and Blast Off are discussing, she doesn't know. Whirl wanted to talk to Blast Off alone, so she's not eavesdropping. She isn't even watching them very closely or intently. There's enough going around in the bar to keep her occupied. And then Quickswitch flips his moods (and modes) in rapid succession. She blinks her optics, trying to keep up. Taking a deep breath, she lets it out slowly. "Perhaps he did do something to earn a punishment of sorts, but pointing it out in such a way isn't doing you or him any favours. If the law has done something to someone as punishment, then it is done. There is no need for anyone else to rub it in further," she points out to the even odder mech. When Whirl speaks up she just raises her optic ridges a triffle towards him. While she understands that this must be very unpleasant, she wishes he would use just a /little/ more restraint. As it is, however, she really can't blame him. She rubs a hand across her optics for a moment and just sighs. This evening is crazy, that's for certain. -There is a lot going on about Swivel. She's managed to hear bits and pieces of the juicy conversation between Blast Off and Whirl due to her keen audials, while also picking ut snippets from the reaction of mechs and femmes to Quickswitch making a scene, to Quickswitch's scene-making ways himself. Including him beckoning her away from Whirl. Instead, Swivel just stands there with a vacant expression. She wears that same vacant expression as she inclines her head slowly to Swift Blade's offer to explain matters another time. She is still for a moment, her vapid stare slowly ebbing away to a pondrous expression. Finally she walks over and plunks herself down in a seat at Quickswitch's table. "My oh my yer drinkin' lots. Yanno, yer jus' gunna start a fight i'this keeps up, an' 'en it'll be no more drinks fer you, coz 'em people..." she points to some of the bar staff, "...dun like fights, see. An' summ'em gots looooooong mem'ries fer troublemakers. So's, mebbe, think 'appy thoughts instead an' jus' ignore 'im." Swivel then leans in closer to Quickswitch, lowering her voice almost down to a whisper. "Besides, it's the ones that don't look like criminals y'otter b'ware of! The marked one's 'er th'least o' yer concerns." She then straightens up a bit, and steals his next order for herself, figuring he might be too drunk to notice. -Blast Off IS starting to sense Quickswitch over there staring at him, and his own staring at Whirl is finally interrupted enough to break away and glare over at the big mech. Who is being /highly/ insulting to Whirl, by the way, to an extent that even the snobby, haughty shuttleformer manages not to be most of the time. "Do you /mind/??" he finally speaks, his voice dripping with icy condescention. That guy /must be an Autobot. He's prejudiced enough to be one, that's for sure! Whirl responds to the mech- and Blast Off actually finds it a bit amusing, especially the insistance that Whirl's really a criminal bathed with the energon of innocents. He smirks just a tiny bit under his faceplate. It's the sort of thing HE faces from time to time. The smirk fades quickly, though. There are times HE just wants to roll with this *criminal* gig, too. Give in. Whirl seems to understand, too, and Blast Off glances away, then nods, fumbling his hands together briefly before straightening up in an attempt to look dignified. "...Understood. I...will. I mean, er, won't." He shakes his head, gah, c'mon... /dignified/... not /flustered/! And then.... "I... I should probably return to my table." One last glance at Whirl, and he heads back towards the table. He gets closer to Swift Blade, but... somehow his appetite for engex has actually.../diminished./ For once he feels almost TOO sober, and yet is also afraid to lose that. He's... well, he's highly confused right now. He needs time to...think. "Swift Blade.... my apologies, but... I should probably be going. I enjoyed seeing you again, though, and..." he glances back to Whirl, "...I suppose you are right. Times will only get MORE chaotic, and it will be nice... if there's someone-somewhere- keeping a ... calm center." -Quickswitch is too shocked and incensed to say anything more to Whirl when he hears of Whirl's "misdeeds. Another drink is in the Autobot's hand and Quickswitch says to Swift Blade, "It is what it is. I've just never seen one before.." Quickswitch takes another drink. His sensors are wacky and he can barely keep the input straight. As he listens to Swivel tell him to think happy thoughts, he complains, "Think happy thoughts?" and then the Autobot says simply, "Okay," oddities upon oddities, maybe he's drunk? "These drink sure are good. What are they called?" Then Swivel mentions having to watch out for the ones who aren't marked and worry troubles the sixchanger's drunken features, "You know, I came here to escape my handlers," /what/ an idiotic thing to say, but he has said it, "Senate Enforcers. They're by my side to keep an optic out for me," he sounds like he's having a nice conversation, rather than revealing serious information, "My name's Quickswitch. May I make your aquaintance?" ....Except that empurata back there... Just then, two Senate Enforcers enter the bar. They look around and quickly zero in on Quickswitch. They move. "There you are," one of them says, "We were looking halfway across Cybertron for you. You're coming with us." "Go frag yourself," Quickswitch says in the most foul of language and unruly of tones. he asks his keepers, "Care for a drink? I was just introducing myself to these femmes here," the Autobot shudders, "If you want someone, there's an empurata over there, and a Decepticon," he says completely devoid of any friendliness to his Senate handlers, "Leave me be." -As Whirl watches Blast Off go back to his table, he hopes this soon-to-be planet consuming war doesn't happen before the Combaticon can make his decision. He sighs and scratches at the back of his head with his claws. Maybe he should have another drink and try to relax now that the hardest part of his day is over. Then a bunch of Senate folk come in and start question that weird and extremely rude mech that was hurling insults at him. Bad sign, a really bad sign. Then Quickswitch actually points him out and tries to get his handlers to come after /him/ instead. EXTREMELY BAD SIGN. Whirl does the only thing he can think to do, he picks up a table and hurls it through a window, shattering it into pieces before jumping through it, transforming, and taking off as fast as his engines can carry him. Can you blame him? The Senate and anyone who wears their badge are dangerous! -Swift Blade watches Swivel sit with the big mech, though she doubts it's just because he's told her to stay away from Whirl. This sort of behavior definitely makes the Decepticon cause look a lot better, because then perhaps she could find whoever had the insanely cruel idea it was to inflict such things upon the population, criminal or not. Such people should never be in power. Then Blast Off returns. She smiles faintly at him. "The two of you didn't get into a fight, which is good. But you look a little troubled. If you ever need to talk about it, I'm here to listen," she offers gently. "Take care of yourself." And she means it. She's really not following Quickswitch very well at all. From where she is she watches the enforces come in and want to take him away. Usually she would question this sort of thing, but on the other hand, it might be best for EVERYONE if they could convince him to go. Still, if he wants to be belligerent, there could be trouble. She tenses up slightly. When Whirl throws the table through the window she starts to stand up, but before she can get to him, he's gone. And the night just gets crazier. Maybe she should leave too; there's not a lot left to be done at this point. Warily she watches the Enforcers to see if they're going to try to go after anyone other than their charge. -Beaming, Swivel readily introduces herself to the uninhibited hexichanger. "Th'name's Swivel. An 'as en'one e'er told ya you gots pretty optics?" Swivel mentions admiring their green hue, seemingly unaware of their signifigance. "They dun make me thi--" Swivel is interrupted by the arrival of Enforcers. The very people Quickswitch ought not to have admited to be avoiding. She seems to have lost her train of thought and is now more interested in the interaction between Quickswitch and the handlers. She opens her mouth as if to say something, perhaps protest something, but the loud crash of Whirl's DIY escape route silences her. She stares at the broken window. "Huh...." She gives a sideglance to the handlers, wondering how they will handle the beligerance of their charge. -Blast Off tenses yet again as Quickswitch points him out as a Decepticon just as TWO Senate Enforcers enter the bar. It is DEFINITELY time to leave now! He's not sure if they've spotted him yet, or know just *which* individual is supposed to be a Decepticon, but he doesn't want to wait to find out. Slag no. Looks like Whirl doesn't, either. The Combaticon flinches slightly at the further noise, but finds he's glad the mech is making an escape- as he should, too. Turning to address Swift Blade, he nods to the femme. "I... uh, it was a bit... unexpected, but no, not a ...fight. He... didn't exactly want...a /fight/." Blast Off is still sounding a bit /dazed/. "And thank you. You too." He also finds he's quite happy that Swift Blade is that calming force, and hasn't been swayed by the Senate propoganda. It... calms him just a bit. Then he turns and, with one last glance towards the others present, slips away before those Enforcers try to *enforce* anything. -The sixchanger looks over at Whirl as he makes his escape, "Hmm," Quickswitch says mildly, "Wonder what his problem is." He takes a final drink then looks at his handlers, "A moment," the Autobot looks at Swivel and seems to understand her, "My optics? Oh, yes, sometimes they're commented on, sometimes not," he smiles, "Your speech pattern is pretty unique." When one of the Enforces puts a hand on his shoulder, Quickswitch barks at him, "Just a minute!!" he looks to where Whirl and Blast Off fled, "Aren't you going after them?" he asks his enforcers. "We're after you this time, freakchanger," the Enforcer replies, "Not them." Quickswitch doesn't even flinch at the insult. Instead he stands, nods to the femmes and takes a few unsteady steps toward the door, "Let's go," he says, oddly calm, without rancor. -Swift Blade merely nods and watches as Blast Off goes. She knows it is not a good idea for him to linger. Now wait just a minute! When Swift Blade hears the handlers call their charge 'freakchanger' she looks less than impressed. It's not only rude, it's unprofessional. Standing again, she moves over to where they are. "Excuse me, but did you need something?" she asks the Enforcers politely, inclining her head respectfully for their position if not for the mechs themselves. -"We're here to pick up our charge, ma'am," one of them says. Quickswitch looks at Swift Blade, unphased, "We're going back to the Decagon." -Waving a small hello to the enforcers, who probably could care less about Swivel's existence, she finishes up her stolen goods. "Yeah, I ge'tha a lot," Swivel responds to Quickswitch's comment about her way of talking. When the Enforcers get impatient, her optics glance between them and Quickswitch again. "Kinner wish I'd summun t'protect me, iffin they were rude li'that," Swivel thinks out loud in a plaintive murmur. Swivel glances up in mild surprise when Quickswitch stands up. "Oh, yer goin' 'en...." she says quietly. She stands up and gives Swift Blade a side glance, before stretching her arms. -"Perhaps, in the future, you could actually act as though he is your charge then," Swift Blade suggests evenly. "Calling him a 'freak' is hardly responsible behavior," she mildly chides. Of course, if he's treated like this often, maybe it isn't so strange how he reacted to Whirl. She's so focused on those Enforcers that she didn't really notice Swivel's glance. -"It's not him we're protecting," says the other mech, "It's the general public." Quickswitch just stands there like he's not even in the room anymore, "When you deal with him as often as we do," a sigh, "You tend to 'forget'. I apologize, ma'am." Quickswitch shrugs mildly, but there, beneath the surface, resentment in his optics. -Swivel just stares at Quickswitch with her large purple optics, a mildly curious and ponderous expression on her face. However, she doesn't say anything more other than "Wellum, bye, 'en..." -Swift Blade considers this for a few moments. "How very interesting," she says slowly. "Still, a little politeness on both sides would probably do everyone some good." She steps back for a moment. "I'm sorry to have interrupted you." She glances at Quickswitch and gives him the barest hint of a smile. "Next time, try to take your drinks a little slower perhaps; that's generally the wisest course," she says kindly. Then she turns back to Swivel finally. "It's been one of those evenings, hasn't it?" -Quickswitch's enforcers nod to Swift Blade. Then they, and Quickswitch, transform to aerial modes and fly off in the direction of Iacon. -"Eh, this's been calm compared ta sommer th'other cycles I been 'aving' lately," Swivel comments to Swift Blade as she watches the Enforcers and Quickswitch leave. -Swift Blade nods her head at this. "Well, I've had worse evenings, but this one still stands out in my mind as particularly disruptive." Looking rather thoughtful, she falls silent for a few moments. "I should be going. Enjoy the rest of your evening." And the seeker femme turns to leave. -Swivel lingers, ordering another drink.